Well, not really, but every once in a while I get this urge to buy some pretty things for myself and not spend 3-4000 Forints in the process. That's where Drogerie Markt comes in. :-) It's not a Bergdorf Goodman or a Sephora, but it's still a lot of fun, and time and time again I re-descover their brand called Alverde and realize that it wasn't for nothing that I had kept buying their products before I turned to more high-end brands like Bioderma, Avéne, or Clinians. (Sorry, my financial situation doesn't allow me to get any "higher" than that right now... :-)

What I both love and hate about Alverde is that they keep introducing new product lines and yummy new concoctions all the time. On the one hand, this often makes for a refreshing change and satisfies my need to try new thing all the time. On the other hand, unless you stock up on a lovely new product that has captured your heart (and nose), at some point in the future you'll find it gone from the shelves, allowing you yet another chance to practice the find art of "letting go"...

I hadn't been to DM for a good while, and when I stepped foot in one of their stores close to where I live this morning, I noticed with not-so-thinly-veiled excitement (Can you say "Squeeee!!!"?) that some of their products had got a makeover while others were completely new to me. But of course, the beauty-blogger in me got a little crazy (in an innocuous sort of way) and went on a rampage (a silly sort of rampage, mind you) to discover things herself.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was that Alverde's soaps got a makeover. They used to have lame packaging and even lamer scent and didn't appeal to most people I know (me included). Now their rose and lavender soaps might still smell boring and old-ladyish, but they have added two new soaps, one of which I have already had the pleasure of buying and trying. The two new scents are Grapefruit&Lemon and Pomegranate, though I haven't yet seen the second one around, just read on a forum that it exists.

Above you can see the end result of a silly photo shoot I conducted with my new favorite soap. :-) It was a lot of fun, although why I'm fixated on this lemony piece of goodness I don't know... Maybe it's the fact that it looks like a humongous piece of candy with its semi-opaque yellow stripes, and also that it smells like a fresh, ripe piece of grapefruit ready to be devoured. And oh, devour it I would if it weren't for the fact that it'd just give me the hiccups... ^_^

It truly does smell like something LUSH would come up with: no artificial smell in the background, there's absolutely nothing unpleasant about this 100 g soap despite the 0.7 € price tag. The ingredients list looks pretty harmless too and the soap itself is no more drying than any other soap on the market.

Verdict: I simply love it and will most likely hunt down the pomegranate version too while stocking up on this one as well. :-)

Oooh, this reminds me of Alverde's gel cleanser I used to love so much! (I bought several tubes of it back then which is a truly momentous thing if I say so myself.)

It has this gooey, gloopy consistency; it's like some sort of marine lifeform sitting in your palm waiting to do wonders for your skin. The fragrance is lovely: warm and sweet, with notes of vanilla and something mildly citrusy in there, the two of them together forming a pleasant and harmonious whole.

I also bought a shower mitten by DM's own brand Ebelin (sorry, no pic!), which is surprisingly soft compared to the much pricier one I bought at Douglas a while ago. The shower gel and this mitten are a winning combination: they exfoliate while being gentle to my skin.

All in all, this new shower gel turned out to be a lovely surprise, well worth its price (~1.4€/250 ml), my only grievance being that it contains alcohol.

Again, it's not the first time that I have bought this facial scrub, and although I do have St. Ives' Apricot Scrub at home, I really don't think that that one is gentle enough to be used on one's face. True, I swore vengeance on physical exfoliants a while ago, I realized that I still need to use one every once in a while (i.e.: once a week or every two weeks) for the sake of removing dead skincells completely from my skin. (I am planning to try microfiber cloths though...)

This scrub is basically a handful of silica beads and a little bit of linden extract mixed into a natural base of apricot kernel oil, shea butter and olive oil, and it's very gentle on your skin so people with less sensitive skin might be able to use it daily or every two or three days.

The scent is pretty much impossible to describe: it's the slightest bit sweet with some herbal undertones in it, and there's an additional element that brings to mind small, scrubbing particles diligently working to polish up your skin and make it glow. Well, the smell doesn't lie: that's exactly what this scrub does. :)

I reviewed this once already about a year ago, and my opinion hasn't really changed since then: it's still essentially a lovely splash of rosewater that can be applied onto your face, hair or even body. I say "body" because this one seems to have a stronger smell and can thus be effectively used as a light everyday scent, which also moisturizes your skin to some degree. The packaging got a nice makeover and the ingredients list has a new item on it: silver citrate. It's colloidal silver that is used as a preservative here, and while some might have scruples about this particular ingredient, I really don't think it can do much harm in such small amounts. (Do share your opinion and knowledge with us though! I'm pretty much undecided about this whole colloidal silver issue, so any info is welcome and thanked for.)

Well, that's it for today. It was a fun post to write, probably because of the fun (and cheap!) products I got to enjoy and review. (What is it with people and getting more stuff for the same amount of money anyway? )

Now take a look at the chocolate truffles I made for Dad's B-Day and run to get your own fix! :-D

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megjegyzés

You know Izar, I never get enough of your reviews :) Products that I would not otherwise pay attention to become such delectable treats that I have got to get. I haven't seen this new packaging yet for Alverde but I will check at the organic store in the town center who has part of their line for sale. The packaging looks cheerful and the fact that they as you say, are comparable to Lush in smell in terms of naturalness have my attention! That bar soap looks so edible! I want me one! And girl, you even make chocolate! I want a piece too! Oh, and happy birthday to Dad of Izar!

My Dad thanks you all. :) First he just gaped at me and raised his left eyebrow when I passed your well-wishes to him: he was like how the heck did that happen??? I mean pretty ladies from all over the world are suddenly congratulating him! :O He's really impressed though, and would like to thank all of you! :-D

Grayburn:You're too kind! ^_^It was fun to write 'cause the products are a lot of fun too. I'd say the soap is even better than LUSH when it comes to naturalness... (I love LUSH just like any other girl but I can't get over the fact that they added propylene glycol to their soap formula...)

Oh, you have no idea how I wish I could bake all of you lots of goodies and share them with you in person! *hug*

xoxo Izar

Bagaela:Yeah, I remember the feeling... To quote myself from 2 years back: "Give me carbs or I'll collapse right here and now and start bawling my head off!!!" :-D

Well, waddaya know... I own the DM shover oil too (Balea, I think): it really is awesome, if a bit too fragrant. I think I'll try Nivea's next. Oh and I've just put Lidl's skincare line on my list of Must-Try!s. :-)

Good luck for your exams! I hope you don't have many left. xoxo

Seeker:

Hey girl! *hug*How are you dear?

I know, time is not my side either, I'm sorry to say, but yeah, things are pretty much okay here.Hope everything is fine with you!Rest as much as you can and have a little fun every day.

I'm a 18-year-old girl from Finland and yesterday I ordered my first free sample kit from Everyday Minerals. I came across your blog when I was searching comments about EDM. You really have written a whole lot about their cosmetics, I got lots of useful information! I must say that I absolutely love your blog, I already put it in my bookmarks. :) Thank you!

I ordered the free sample kit: the foundations are Soft Butter Peach (semi-matte), Golden Fawn (semi-matte) and Buff - Fairly Light Neutral (original glo), the blush is New Car Smell and the concealer is Intensive Concealer Fair. You know, I'm not that sure about my exact skin hue, except that it is yellow-based. :D I think that Golden Fawn could be what I'm looking for, but of course, I can't be sure without trying. My skin tone is quite untypical of a Finn, most Finns have a cool color scheme and are very pale, but I'm clearly a warm type and not so snow white. Plus I have some small skin problems as well (due to my skin type, which is quite dry and sensitive), so it's been extremely hard for me to find any suitable foundations in local stores.

I'm waiting so impatiently for my free samples to arrive! Your blog has really been of help, until now I've been only reading Finnish beauty blogs but then I found treasures like your blog and NessasaryMakeup. I'll sure come tell you and your readers how my samples work out when I get them. :) Thank you!

I'm a new fan of alverde - what I don't understand is how they can keep the line so cheap, as similar "natural" products are a lot more expensive. Just came across your blog while investigating this :)